Opening Plenary Session: State of Affairs – The Opioid Epidemic

Moderator(s)

• • 

    G. Davy Kneessy, MS, MAC, MCAP, LMHC

    Conference Chair and Regional Director
    Central Florida Treatment Centers

Keynote Speaker(s)

• 

  Ute Gazioch

  Director of Substance Abuse and Mental Health
  Florida Department of Children and Families
• 

  Mark Parrino, MPA

  President
  AATOD, Inc.
• 

  Louis Trevisan, MD

  Director
  Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• 

  Rick Scott

  US Senator of Florida
  United States Senate

The Opening Plenary will review AATOD’s policies and strategies in Florida and nationally. Dave Kneessy, Conference Chair and Regional Director for Central Florida Treatment Center will welcome conference attendees and provide an overview of this exciting and remarkable conference. Mr. Kneessy will be followed by SAMH/DCF Director, Ute Gazioch who will review the strategies and services that SAMH/DCF has enacted in Florida to combat the opioid epidemic. Ms. Gazioch will review the evidence-based practices that have been implemented at the treatment level and impacted our community. Mr. Mark Parrino, AATOD President, will present an overview of the challenges, opportunities and accomplishments of AATOD over the past 18 months and will provide insight into AATOD’s plans and strategies for the future. Dr. Louis Trevisan, Director of Center for Substance Abuse Treatment will speak to where the country is at present in dealing with the opioid epidemic, the shifting patterns of fentanyl and methamphetamine abuse and SAMHSA’s policy making initiatives. The keynote speaker will be Senator Rick Scott who will review the progress Florida has made over the years going from the pill mill crisis to declaring the State of Emergency. The Senator will address current policies and new policies within the legislature that are helping to provide additional funding and treatment opportunities.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify conference goals;
• Identify current challenges and solutions for treatment programs; and
• Describe how the State of Florida has been tackling the opioid crisis legislatively, at the state level and at the provider level